My
final visit on this trip was a good one: it was Villiera, a producer
whose wines I’ve enjoyed in the past. The Grier family, perviously
chicken farmers, purchased the wine estate in 1983. It’s a
sizeable property of 240 hectares, although recent work aimed at
improving quality in the vineyards has brought the area under vine
down to about 100 hectares.

Simon
and Jeff Grier know how to show their property to journalists. They
combined a tour of the vineyards with three different tasting spots,
the final one being back at the winery, where we were joined by
Cathy Grier who heads up the sales team. It’s a family business.

Jeff and
Simon Grier

Tasting
in situ has a lot to be
said for it. We began with some fizz. Cap classique, the South
African equivalent of Champagne, is one of the specialties of
Villiera—they make four of them. I was thoroughly impressed by the
two fizzes I tried, but the other wines in the portfolio also stand
out as being very high quality.

Villiera
Brut Natural Chardonnay 2003Made without sulfur in a natural style, using wild yeasts and no
dosage. This is really interesting. It’s bone dry with complex
yeasty, savoury notes. Rich bakery and cured meat flavours and good
complexity on the palate, showing some evolution. Very
good/excellent 92/100

Villiera
Monro Brut 1999This has spent 5 years on lees in bottle. Very crisp and bright
with lovely complex flavours as well as nice high acidity. Some warm
straw and toasty character, too. Quite complex. Very good/excellent
91/100

Villiera
Crow’s Fountain Sauvignon Blanc 2005This is made for UK supermarket Marks & Spencer. Really nice
rounded fruity Sauvignon with no rough edges. Nice freshness to the
fruit. This is made from duplex soil, with sand over clay over
gravel. Very good+ 86/100

Villiera
Crow’s Fountain Red 2004A blend of Shiraz, Merlot and Pinotage made for UK supermarket
Marks & Spencer. Retail is GBP£6.99. Nice sweet fruit here with
a meaty sort of complexion. The palate is open and rounded with
spicy, slightly medicinal red fruits and a smooth texture. Supple
and tasty. Made from sandy soils which give fresher, lighter reds.
Very good+ 85/100

Villiera
Cellar Door Merlot Reserve 2003Smooth, sweet nose with a subtle green edge and some chocolatey
notes, but not over-ripe. The palate is savoury and supple with
midweight, spicy fruit. It’s quite expressive with a light-ish
sort of character but plenty of structure. Very good+ 88/100

Villiera
Monro 2002A lovely expressive red wine with sweet red and black fruits
plus some richness of texture, all backed up by spicy oak. It is
generous and rich but still quite precise with lovely tannic
structure that’s almost velvety. A bit fuller and riper than other
reds. Plenty of density but still retains a sense of lightness. Very
good/excellent 92/100

Villiera
Fired Earth 2000 Vintage Late Bottled Fortified Red Table WineThis spends just over three years in the barrel. It’s a nice,
spicy Port-styled wine with earthy, spicy, herby aromas. Quite open
and tannic on the palate. Interesting.